


Moonlit

by theaveragebear



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Camping, M/M, Moonlit swim, Outdoor Sex, Rhink Summer Ficathon 2k17
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 20:57:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11044197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theaveragebear/pseuds/theaveragebear
Summary: Rhett and Link go for a nighttime swim.





	Moonlit

The thing Link loves about a campfire is the way it stays with you. Even just sitting by the fire for a few minutes imbues your clothes with the scent of it, lingering for days if the clothes go unwashed. He knows for some people that’s the reason they dislike the fire, they return home and try to scrub the scent out of all their belongings. But for Link the smell of the smoke reminds him of the time spent surrounded by friends or family, roasting marshmallows until they turn black and sticky. While breathing in his sweatshirt the next day, he can see the warm light the fire casts on the faces sitting beside it and the memories stay crisp.

Like tonight. It’s just he and Rhett and the clear full moon. Their fire is strong despite being a few hours old. Rhett likes to call himself the _Firemaster_ , standing guard, always ready with the poking stick and a fresh log.

They’ve come out here to work on their script for their next project, the weather was too nice to lock themselves in a house or their studio. Their planning hadn’t been great though, and they arrived at twilight, having rambled down the dirt road slowly, searching for their campsite, the truck swirling great plumes of blue-grey dust behind them. They had to set up their camp in the near dark, which proved to be more difficult than they anticipated, but resulted in some intense high-fiving when everything finally came together.

And now they were each seated in a fabric camp chair, their feet resting on the stones of the fire pit, sipping lukewarm beer from silver and blue cans.

“I can’t get over the moon, man. When’s the last time you saw it that big and bright? I feel like I haven't ever seen a moon like that in California, y’know?”

“You’re drunk.” Link watched Rhett’s upturned face in the firelight, his profile in sharp display.

“Not really. I just always get nostalgic out here. Somehow it reminds me of home, even though I know landscape is so different. Maybe it’s just camping...reminds me of being kids, y’know? Makes me ponder our existence or something.”

“Yeah, I get that. Maybe it’s just that we’re not glued to a screen for once. Not constantly thinking about what comes next. We can actually stop and think for a moment.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Rhett paused, tapping his feet on the stone. “You know, our campsite is right on the river.”

“Oh, is it? I think you may have mentioned that...like 50 times on the way here.” Link smirked in the darkness at Rhett’s earnest expression, he was practically wagging his eyebrows. “You got an idea, buddy?”

“Let’s go for a swim.”

“A swim? You can’t be serious.”

“C’mon! It so bright and clear and warm, it’s like the perfect conditions for a nighttime swim. There’s literally no one around. Where’s your sense of adventure? Where’s the impulsive Link I know, huh? Let’s pretend we’re teenagers, stop thinking about everything so much. Let’s just do it. C’mon, man!”

Link eyed him for a moment, pondering his proposal, before a wide grin broke out on his face. “Ok...let’s do it.”

Rhett let out a triumphant, “Ha!” and jumped up, clapping Link on the shoulder and shaking him a few times. “That’s the spirit, brother!”

They rummaged through their packs, pulling out towels. Rhett took a quick look at the campsite map, making sure they could find their way in the dark. The path to the river was short, but required careful stepping, a few large rocks caused Link to lose his balance more than once. Each time, he gripped the back of Rhett’s sweatshirt to reorient himself, knowing that Rhett’s footing was sure to be steadier than his own.

At the river’s edge they took a moment to breathe in the scene. The night air was still and quiet and the moon was nearly perfectly reflected in the surface of the water. It seemed more like a small pond than a river, the surface was calm and smooth, the current barely noticeable. They pulled off their clothes, save for their underwear, both carefully eyeing the other in the clear moonlight. There was nothing new to see, but something about the reticent night made them feel bashful.

Link was the first the break the silence, letting out a holler as he ran and jumped into the water without so much as a toe-dip. He was barely under for a second before he leapt up again, splashing his arms and and shaking out his hair.

“Get in here! It’s freezing!”

Rhett was still only ankle deep, leaning down to test the temperature with his fingers.

“C’mon, man! Where’s your sense of adventure? Stop thinking, just do it!” Link’s mocking tone was accompanied by a few swift kicks of his feet, splashing water directly into Rhett’s face.

“Oh, is that what we’re doing? You better swim fast, brother.” With that, Rhett dove in, swimming swiftly under the water to grab Link’s ankles and pull him under. They wrestled for a few moments, grabbing, pulling and holding each other under the water, splashing at each other's backs when they wrested free.

Eventually they lost their breath and rested by floating on their backs, watching a soft cloud dim the light for a moment before it moved on its way. The scene was quiet again, and they swam back closer to the bank. The water here was shallow, a small cove set against the bank of the river, ringed by large smooth rocks.

Link leaned back against a big rock, catching his breath, eyes gleaming icy in the white light. Rhett watched him carefully, hoping his face was shadowed enough to hide the path of his eyes on his friend’s skin. Link closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the rock, breathing deeply. Rhett’s eyes sharpened, without fear of being caught staring, he grew bolder, taking in the full sight before him.

“What?” Link’s voice cut through the quiet, almost accusatory in its tone. “Just say it, Rhett. I can hear your thoughts from here.”

“Oh, you can _hear_ my thoughts, huh? I highly doubt that--”

Link cut him off, “Just say it, man. What are you thinking?”

Rhett inhaled, gathering his words. “Don’t you ever wonder? About us?”

“Rhett, we’ve talked about this…”

“One drunken kiss when we were 15 which we agreed to never speak about again hardly qualifies as talking about it. I mean, here we are, what, 24 years later, and I still think about it. Not talking about it hasn’t made it go away for me.” The words came out faster than he had meant them to, and they rippled between them as if Rhett had just thrown a rock in the water.

“Rhett…”

Rhett could hear the warning in Link’s voice, he knew the tone well, but he was just drunk enough not to care. He’d been heeding Link’s warnings for most of their lives, and it hadn’t stopped him from wanting more.

He swam up closer, forcing Link’s back against the rocks, and his knees sunk into the soft mud underneath them. Link was still half treading water, his elbows propped against the rocks. Rhett could see his mouth working to form a protest, failing to find the words he needed.

He pressed in further still, seeing how far he could get before Link inevitably pushed him back. He trusted that Link would push back; Rhett was the instigator, the dreamer, and Link was the level head, dragging them back into reality whenever Rhett led them down some tangent. Usually the tangent was creative or hobby-related, but not tonight.

Rhett steadied himself by placing his hands against the rock, framing Link’s torso under the water. His eyes focused on the details of Link’s face, tracing his smooth forehead and stubble darkened chin. They settled on his lips a moment before hesitantly meeting his eyes. What he found behind Link’s eyes was a man wavering, questioning, over thinking. He knew this wasn’t a decision he could make for them. He couldn’t drag Link into this. He needed him to meet him willingly, to come on his own.

The air between them began to cool, a breeze rustled the trees and in the distance they could hear the soft sound of crickets. Rhett dropped Link’s gaze and shook his head. Just as he was about to push away from the rocks, he felt Link’s hand move up his torso and grip his waist.

Rhett’s eyes widened and searched Link’s face frantically, looking for confirmation in his expression. Link’s eyes gave no answers, they were trained on his own hand, watching his own actions curiously. Under Link’s fingers, Rhett’s ribs expanded and receded with a quickening pace. He gripped Rhett’s side for a moment before turning his wrist and flattening his palm, pushing his way across Rhett’s chest. He was still working one-handed, his other supporting his weight on the rock. Now both pairs of eyes were watching Link’s hand with interest, wondering what path it might take. Rhett, for his part, remained still and quiet, as if any movement outside of Link’s hand might break the spell, cause it all to end.

Softly, Link worked downward, plunging further into the murky river water to graze the plane of Rhett’s stomach, his fingers teasing the elastic he found below. A smile played on his lips at the sound this elicited from Rhett. With the back of his hand he pulled back up, out of the water, trailing all the way up Rhett’s torso to his neck, settling there with a sense of finality. His fingers kneaded the soft flesh at the back of Rhett’s neck, while his thumb gently traced a circle around his Adam’s apple.

They stayed like that for a moment, breath heavy between them, Rhett watching Link’s face, Link’s eyes frozen on his own hand, as if waiting for it to make the decision for him. After what felt like an eternity, Link finally raised his eyes to meet Rhett’s stare. They both smiled at the eye contact, raising their eyebrows in incredulity.

And then Link closed the gap, fitting his mouth onto Rhett's tentatively, questioningly. He pulled at the back of Rhett’s neck to bring them closer, deepening the kiss, opening into it. Rhett surged forward, pressing Link into the rock, leaving him little choice but to wrap his legs around Rhett’s waist, causing their chests to come into contact. The feel of wet skin on skin drew twin whimpers from them both. This small sound of mutual pleasure set the air on fire, combusting and exploding around them.

Rhett’s arms and hands were everywhere, tightening around Link’s ribs, pressing them into each other further, smoothing down his back to land under his thighs, lifting him out of the water. As he lowered him back down, his thumbs hooked into Link’s briefs, pulling them down and off swiftly.  
Link broke their kiss for a moment in surprise, “Oh! So, we’re really doing this, huh?”

The sound of his voice was shocking, they had both been overcome by the moment, and Link’s voice brought them back into reality. Foreheads pressed together, they each let out a breathy laugh, waiting for mutual assurance that they were going to continue. Rhett's hands moved under the water to grip at Link’s backside.

“You tell me, are we doing this?” His words came out low, almost a whisper, as if uttered too loudly Link might reject them. He looked up to find Link nodding vigorously, at which he couldn’t help but smile. Their mouths met again as Link slid down his body, forcing as much contact as possible. He brought his hands down Rhett’s back into the water, stepping out and around, switching their positions. Suddenly he felt very alone in his nakedness. Using his mouth, he slowly made his way down Rhett’s long torso, licking paths into his skin, allowing the night air to cool them. He pressed a kiss into Rhett’s belly, hands on the backs of his thighs, before smirking up at him and winking. Rhett barely had time to register any confusion before Link was plunging under the water. Anchoring himself with his hands on Rhett’s legs, he nuzzled into Rhett’s hip for a moment before sinking his teeth into Rhett's waistband, pulling downward, finishing the job with his hands.

On his way back up, his fingers began to explore Rhett further, grazing up his length, then gripping as he met Rhett in a wet kiss. Not one to be outdone, Rhett flipped their positions again, mirroring their first, dragging Link’s legs back up around his waist. This time he ground his hips into Link’s, bringing them into full contact with each other under the water.

“Oh…” Link practically growled as he matched Rhett’s rhythm with his own hips, revelling in the feeling of soft skin made slippery by the water. Rhett continued to set the pace as he gripped Link’s wrists and pressed them into the rock above his head. He made a note of the sound Link made as his tongue and teeth caught an earlobe. He wanted to chase that sound, find out what other things drew it out of him.

With one hand keeping Link’s wrists in place, the other moved under the water. He partly wanted to back off, slow things down, not knowing when or if they’d ever be here again. He knew before he started that there was a real possibility of this being some sort of a fever dream, a trance come over them by the full moon. And that in the light of day it may all be forgotten, written off in favor of reality.

But desire won out, and he licked deep into Link’s mouth as he wrapped his hand around the both of them, pulling upward with the tempo of their movements. They squeezed their eyes shut and breathed into each other, saying with their bodies what they had never been able to say with their voices. Link’s hands wound into Rhett’s hair, pulled and gripped him closer, closer.

At the edge of it all, Link sunk his teeth into Rhett’s lower lip, pulling a whimper from him and meeting his eyes. “C’mon, baby…” Link’s whispered affection was all it took to send him over, his hips curling upward as he came. Link followed suit, pulling Rhett into a soft kiss as their breathing slowed. He unwrapped his legs from around Rhett, and pulled them both deeper into the water, resting his head on Rhett's chest, listening as the noises of the night settled back in around them.

They stayed there for a moment, Rhett pressing his lips into Link’s wet hair, before wordlessly climbing out of the water, collecting their towels and gingerly making their way back through the rocky path to their campsite.

Their fire had all but died when they returned, so they poured a bottle of water on it and watched the embers fade before climbing into their tent. They slept wrapped up in each other, opening their sleeping bags to form oddly shaped blankets. Rhett let the sound of Link's breathing pull him under into a deep slumber.

***

Rhett woke with a start. The light filtering in through the tent’s screened windows was harsh, causing the tent to heat up quickly as the sun rose. His eyes scanned the interior of the tent, but he didn’t really need to look. He knew he’d wake up alone.

He unzipped the tent and found Link cooking eggs on the small gas stove.

“Mornin’.”

“Mornin’.” Link turned and gave Rhett a quick smile before returning to tend to the eggs. “The truck’s pretty much packed, so we can leave right after breakfast.”

“Thought we were staying another night.”

“I don’t think...I think we should get back. I’m not sure this environment is really conducive to us getting a lot of writing done.”

“Oh?” Rhett knew he could protest, argue against leaving so quickly, fight for them to stay, but he knew Link would win. Rhett was the dreamer, and Link always knew how to drag them back to reality when he pushed too far.

“Yeah, I think we should probably just stick to writing in the studio from now on.”

Rhett moved over to the stove and wrapped one arm around Link's shoulders, pressing his chest into Link’s back. Link stopped stirring the eggs and leaned into him, closing his eyes.

“Ok, you’re the boss.” He pressed a gentle kiss into Link’s hair, then pulled away. “I’ll break down the tent.”

***

Link hadn’t been home very long before he found himself in the laundry room, hoisting his pack up onto the shelf, unzipping compartments. He started throwing things into the washing machine, but paused as he pulled out his sweatshirt.

He pressed his nose into the fabric and inhaled deeply. A smile formed on his lips as the familiar smell washed over him. What once had reminded him of burnt marshmallow and childhood, he now knew would only remind him of one thing. He set the sweatshirt aside and decided that it didn’t need to be washed for a while.

 


End file.
